Close to 800 jobs expected to be slashed on the Prairies under federal job cuts

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ctvwinnipeg.ca
Published Wednesday, April 11, 2012 6:13PM CST

Union officials said Wednesday that 775 jobs are expected to be lost on the Prairies as part of federal job cuts.

The hardest hit sector will be agriculture, where the Public Service Alliance of Canada said 385 jobs will be lost in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Albera. The Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg is also slated to close by sometime in 2014.

About 95 Health Canada jobs are also expected to be cut on the Prairies along with 65 in citizenship and immigration, said union officials.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada is the largest union representing federal government employees.

Across the country, the union said Wednesday that more than 5,500 civil servants have been given notice. The Conservative government is aiming to slash spending by $5.2 billion over the next three years.

The union says hundreds of government workers received a letter Wednesday, letting them know they could be affected by the job cuts.

But it could be several months before they learn if they will in fact lose their jobs.

Geographically, Ottawa bore the biggest brunt with 2,224 job losses, according to the union.

A spokesperson for Treasury Board President Tony Clement said since the cuts only eliminate four per cent of the public service over the next three years, there will still be plenty of advice to go around. "This government respects and appreciates the hard work that public servants do for this country," Jennifer Gearey said in an email.

- with files from The Canadian Press

Public Service Alliance of Canada statement on Work Force Adjustment – April Notices

"We can confirm that today, April 11, 5,561 of our members in 23 departments received notices saying they could lose their jobs. Those include:

• Department of Agriculture: 689 (8 in BC, 385 in the Prairies, 26 in Ontario, 237 in the NCR, 14 in Quebec and 19 in the Atlantic)